Albert Pujols – St. Louis Cardinals – In case you missed the news yesterday (click here for our post), further tests on Pujols’ wrist revealed a fracture. At this point he is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks, though Joe Strauss (via Twitter) is reporting that, “Am told Pujols needs 4 weeks in cast but may need longer wait for baseball-related activies. Mid-August return more likely than early Aug.” The news just keeps getting better, huh?

Tommy Hanson – Atlanta Braves – According to David O’Brien (via Twitter), “Hanson said shoulder feels a lot better now, #Braves hoping that he might be ready to pitch soon as 15-day stint is up, on June 28”. He’s on the DL due to tendinitis in his right shoulder and while Hanson is hoping to come right off the DL, I would take this news with a bit of a grain of salt. The team is going to be cautious with their young ace, so seeing him forced to wait (or even go out on a DL stint) would not be surprising.

Adrian Beltre – Texas Rangers – Jeff Wilson of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram (click here for the article) is reporting that, “The Texas Rangers’ third baseman is experiencing tightness in his left hamstring, but it’s an issue that he said pops up at this time of the season almost every year. He has learned how to manage the hamstring through traditional means in the training room and some not-so-traditional ones like the intentional limp.” Based on what Beltre is saying it doesn’t appear to be anything to worry about, but it certainly is worth monitoring. When he’s playing he is a must use option at a shallow position.

Johnny Cueto – Cincinnati Reds – John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer (click here for the post) is reporting that the Reds flipped Travis Wood and Johnny Cueto in the rotation, with Wood taking the ball against the Yankees last night, because “Johnny Cueto’s neck has been bothering for roughly five days.” It appears Cueto is on track to start today, but time will tell. If you are in a daily format you will want to monitor the news. However, taking on the Yankees, you may be better off just leaving him on your bench anyways.

Jeremy Guthrie – Baltimore Orioles – Brittany Ghiroli of mlblogs.com (click here for the post) is reporting that, “Jeremy Guthrie (back) was out on the field throwing for the second straight day and will make his start tomorrow.” Good news, as Guthrie was forced from his last start due to a back issue. While he is 2-8 on the season, he is sporting a 3.56 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. With a matchup against the Pirates, he should be viewed as a low-end option, especially with the injury still hanging over him.

Brian Matusz – Baltimore Orioles – In the same post, Ghiroli is reporting that, “The situation with Brian Matusz, who said his left hamstring felt 100 percent, is a little trickier. The Orioles are leaning toward starting Chris Jakubauskas on Friday and potentially giving Matusz another day of rest, or they could push him back even more.” Monitor the situation if you are in a daily format, but at this point it appears like the Orioles are going to be extremely cautious with him. You probably want to shift him to your bench, especially with the Reds on the schedule.

Hunter Pence – Houston Astros – Brian McTaggert (via Twitter) is reporting that, “Pence says he’s feeling good and hopes to play as early as tomorrow”. Time will tell, but until he steps onto the field you have to continue to consider him day-to-day. It doesn’t sound like it is going to be long, though, so just continue to monitor the pregame lineups.

Brandon Beachy – Atlanta Braves – According to Mark Bowman (via Twitter), “Beachy will start Wednesday. Chipper hopes to return to lineup tomorrow.” The Chipper news we take with a bit of a grain of salt, because we all know his injury history. Beachy is returning from a strained oblique and looked good in his one rehab start (1 ER on 4 H and 2 BB, striking out 8, over 5.0 innings). You won’t want to use him for his start this week against the Blue Jays, as he is a huge risk there, but the potential is there to be viable in deeper formats moving forward.

Danny Duffy – Kansas City Royals – Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star (click here for the article) is reporting that, “Duffy dismissed the possibility of any lingering effect from the cramp in his left calf that forced him to leave Sunday’s game with two outs in the fourth inning.” He was in the middle of his best start since being recalled, striking out 9 in just 3.2 innings. His next start comes against the Cubs and, with the overall struggles he’s had (5.03 ERA, 1.79 WHIP), he’s not an advisable option.

Andruw Jones – New York Yankees – According to the Newark Star Ledger (via Twitter), “Just as Girardi said, Jones says he rolled his ankle on that dp ball. Says he Took it easy down the line after he did it on swing.” If he is forced to miss any time, Brett Gardner (who has been sitting against southpaws), would return to full-time duty.

Jeff Niemann – Tampa Bay Rays – He came off the DL to start against the Brewers in Milwaukee, always a daunting task. All he did was toss 6.0 shutout innings, allowing 4 H and 3 BB, striking out 5, in an impressive victory. He will look to continue the good times on Sunday, in what appears to be a much more favorable matchup with the Astros.